Chapter 86: The Four Ma Brothers

Looking at the minor official before him, Zhu Gaoxu did not stand on ceremony, first making his familiar way to the courtyard where Yan Zhenzhi worked.

He then walked into Yan Zhenzhi's office and sat directly behind the desk.

A quick glance around showed the room was very clean; clearly, someone had been assigned to clean it even when Yan Zhenzhi was not there.

Picking up the writing brush on the table, the minor official immediately and perceptively stepped forward to grind ink for Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu dipped the brush in ink and began to draw directly on the paper.

Before long, Zhu Gaoxu had drawn a simple distillation apparatus.

He then blew the paper dry, handed it to the minor official, and instructed, "Send someone to have this equipment built."

The minor official took the drawing handed over by Zhu Gaoxu, nodded, and seeing that Zhu Gaoxu had no other instructions, he did not ask further and took his leave.

Zhu Gaoxu watched the minor official and nodded; he figured the man must be one of Yan Zhenzhi's subordinates, and he would mention promoting him to Yan Zhenzhi later.

Having finished this matter, Zhu Gaoxu had done all he could; now he just had to wait for the work to be completed to get started.

"Brewing alcohol shouldn't be a problem."

Muttering this to himself, Zhu Gaoxu walked out of the Ministry of Works office.

That was right; Zhu Gaoxu had thought about it before—he intended to brew high-proof alcohol.

Under current conditions for brewing in Great Ming, the alcohol content was generally only eight to ten percent, but using a distillation apparatus, it was entirely possible to raise the alcohol content to thirty or forty percent and above.

When the time came, good wine would not fear a deep alley; as long as he operated properly, he would not worry about it not selling.

After exiting the Ministry of Works, Zhu Gaoxu saw that it was already noon, and his stomach let out a "rumble" of protest without him realizing it.

Thinking of the bland food he had eaten at the Military Camp over the past two days, Zhu Gaoxu decided to treat himself.

He did not intend to return to the Wangfu to eat, so he found a nearby restaurant and walked in.

It was currently mealtime, and the restaurant was bustling with business; Zhu Gaoxu walked into the restaurant with four Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The waiter at the door saw that Zhu Gaoxu was dressed extraordinarily and immediately stepped forward to greet him: "Distinguished guest, please head upstairs."

Nodding, Zhu Gaoxu followed the waiter's footsteps to the second floor.

He found a seat by the window and then began to order dishes.

"Bring out all the signature dishes, and bring a pot of good wine as well."

The waiter responded immediately and then turned to leave.

Zhu Gaoxu asked the several Embroidered Uniform Guards following him to sit down together.

To be honest, this whole ordeal had put them through quite a bit of trouble.

He had been running back and forth inside and outside the city, and they had been dutifully following him the entire time.

Today, Zhu Gaoxu decided to take this opportunity to treat these men to a meal.

However, the group of Embroidered Uniform Guards did not sit down immediately; one of them spoke up: "Your Highness, you should just eat by yourself; there is no need to worry about us."

Naturally, Zhu Gaoxu did not have the habit of eating while others watched.

Mainly, eating like that would not be enjoyable for him.

Seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guards refuse, Zhu Gaoxu feigned displeasure and said, "We are all brothers, no need for such formalities. This Prince knows you are all here under the orders of the Imperial Grandfather to protect me, but I have always regarded you all as my own brothers. Please, brothers, do not reject my good intentions."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard who had spoken saw Zhu Gaoxu put it this way, exchanged a look with the others, and then nodded and cupped his hands: "Then we thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

Having said that, the men sat down one after another.

Before long, the waiter brought the food to the table; Zhu Gaoxu picked up his chopsticks first, then invited the others to join him.

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the wine pot, filled his own cup, and then stood up to pour wine for the other Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The several Embroidered Uniform Guards were flattered and stood up, saying repeatedly, "We dare not."

But Zhu Gaoxu possessed Overlord Strength, and with the addition of his Internal Energy, the men truly could not resist him.

He insisted on filling the wine for all four of them.

"I have been in Jingcheng for quite some time now, and come to think of it, I have spent most of that time in the company of you brothers."

"The Imperial Grandfather has entrusted my life and safety to you all, so I imagine he trusts you immensely. I am grateful for your care; with this cup of wine, I toast you all, brothers. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will do the same with the other Embroidered Uniform Guard brothers."

After speaking, Zhu Gaoxu drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Seeing this, the other Embroidered Uniform Guards dared not act arrogant; they all stood up to finish their wine before sitting back down.

"I am still young and cannot drink much wine, so I hope you brothers will not take offense. Let us eat."

How could the four Embroidered Uniform Guards take offense at Zhu Gaoxu after hearing him say this?

One of the Embroidered Uniform Guards immediately spoke up: "For you to drink with us rough men in your status as a Prince is already an honor for us. Your Highness, please do not say such things; it truly shames us."

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu nodded and then pointed to the delicacies, inviting everyone to eat together.

Through these few exchanges, the men became increasingly familiar with one another.

And Zhu Gaoxu also learned the names of the men.

It was only then that Zhu Gaoxu learned that these four men were actually biological brothers.

The four were named: Ma Laoda, Ma Laoer, Ma Laosan, and Ma Laosi.

Their father had originally been a minor general who followed Zhu Yuanzhang, but after that general died on the battlefield, his sons were arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang to join the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

To make it easier to address them, Zhu Gaoxu gave the four of them nicknames.

Ada, A'er, A-San, and A Si.